Improvement in pottery-kilns



UNITED STATES Prvrnlv'r OFFICE JOHN FERGUSON, OF OLEARFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN POTTERY-KILNS.

Speci fication forming part of Letters Patezt No. 153,553, dated July 28,1874; application filed February 1l, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN FERGUSON, of Clearfield, in the county of Clearfield and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Kilns for Pottery and Brick, of which the following' is a specification:

The nature of my invention relates to that class of kilns used for the manufacture of pottery, brick, or other similar articles; and consists, first, in such an arrangement of furnaces and such a distribution of outlet-passages as will insure an equal temperature in the kiln, and at the same time provide for sufficient draft; second, in the construction and arrangement of the iiues, whereby an equal strength of draft is given to the entire chamber or kiln, third, in the air-passages arranged above the furnaces, for the purpose of supplying oxygen to the flames and allowing complete combus tion, preventing smoke, economizing fuel, and regulating the temperature of the kiln.

ln the accompanying drawing, Figure lis a plan view, showing the concentric tlues and outlet-passages. Fig. 2 is a vertical section illustrating my invention.

A is the main body or shell of the kiln, made of any size, round, oblong, square, octagonal, or other shape, but preferably round and oval, as shown. This body or shell is provided with one or more doors, P, arranged at any suitable place or places, and of any desired size. Ooncentric to this shell is a partition or flamewall, B, arranged at a suitable distance from lthe inside of the shell, so as to allow the pro ducts of combustion from the furnaces to pass and ascend to the domel or inside of the kiln. This iiame-wall may be provided with partitions upon its exterior circumference, reaching toward the shell, and extending so as to nearly or quite impinge upon its interior surface. rIhe object and duty of these partitions are to separate, or partially separate, the issues of the furnaces from each other, and allowl the iiame and heated gases of each furnace to enter the dome separately, and not miX or intermingle in the flame-Hue. At the base of the damewall B are port-holes b, to allow a uniform circulation, and assist the draft, if necessary. The flame-flue, or the` space between the iiamewall and the shell or body, is represented in the drawings by the letter D. C C are furnaces situated around the kiln, E E, the grates thereto, and Gr the space under the grate. These furnaces may be of any desired form or number, and may be arranged at any suitable distance apart. H H are coldair tubes or channels, so situated that a current of air may be admitted to the furnace or dame-Hue D. These tubes or channels are provided with a proper register, so as to graduate and govern the amount of air to be furnished at the will ofthe operator, and according to the demands of the articles being subjected to the heat. This aircurrent may either be admitted direct from the atmosphere or it may be made to pass through a tortuous or winding channel, so arranged that it will become more or less heated, as desired, prior to its introduction into the due. By this arrangement the air is admitted in a thin sheet or row of minute streams or jets to the iame and heated gases after they have reached the iiam e-fiue D. The narrowness of this flame-flue causes this air to be intimately mingled with the ame and heated gases, so as to produce a very perfect combustion, the smoke evolved by the furnaces being entirely consumed, and great economy in fuel resulting; besides, the articles beingl red are burned with extreme nicety and uniformity. K is the iioor of the chamber or kiln, and it is perforated to allow the escape of heat, and afford a sufficient draft for the furnaces. These perforations are so arranged, varied, and graduated from center to circumference that the escape of the products of the combustion will be uniform throughout the entire surface of the floora desideratum in this branch of manufacture; in other words, the same relative ratio exists between the size of the perforations and the amount of surface over each annular flue, whether the said iiue is near to or remote from the center ofthe iioor. Beneath this lioor K, and upon which it rests, are concentric flues J. 'lhese lines are arranged in distinct ramifications, and the perforations are so graduated in size from center to circumference, and the alternate arrangement is such, as to allow all parts of the chamber orA kiln to be subjected to an equal strength of draft-a point on which the equal burning of the charge very obviously depends. The arrangement of these apertures and perforations may be varied without affecting my invention, the object being to allow and aii'ord a uniform draft to all parts of the chamber or kiln. M is the bottom of the concentric flue-chamber, and on this bottom the thin partitions between the concentric flues, which partitions form the ilues, rest. This part M is also perforated, the perforations corresponding to three large outlet-fines or chimneys, called outlet-fines 1. These ues I converge at the center of the kiln, and, leading outward, form the main outlet-passages of the entire kiln.

The operation and advantages of my invention are obvious. The flame and heated gases evolved by the furnaces pass to the ame-ue D, Where they come in contact with the air which has entered through the channels H, the combustion being materially assisted at this point. The products of this entire combustion then pass up this arneue in the forni of a thin sheet, and, breaking over the top of the flame-walls B, reverberate over the Whole chamberv area, and finally pass oi' through a perforated false bottom to the concentric fines, thence to the large outlet-flue, and thus escape.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

The kiln with closed dome, having floor K, perforated and graduated from center to circumference, as described, concentric iues J', and outletflues I, as shown and specified.

In testimony that l claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 28th dayof October, 1873.

JOHN FERGUSON.

In presence of J. G. HARTSWICK, PETER FERGUSON. 

